Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Naughty ESV!

So I'm working on charting valency for the verb SWB and am noticing that the ESV has done a less than consistent job of translating occurrences of the verb. Very often, I've already found, it is in ellipsis/ellision with another verb or translated as an English light verb. Such a practice may be acceptable for any number of other verbs, but SWB? Really? With 1035+ attestations and obvious thematic import (i.e. Covenant, repentance, etc.), shouldn't the English reader be given every chance to see this verb throughout the OT? I think so. So I say to the ESV: "you are naughty on this one (but so good in so many other places); I'll keep you, but take this as a whippin'! It hurts me more than it hurts you...."

3 comments:

  1. What is SWB? (other than "single white boy"?)

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  2. You got it! Nah, its the Hebrew form of the verbal root that I'm doing for SBL; it means "to (re)turn" and is pronounced "shoov."

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  3. FYI, 'SWB' denotes the three consonants of the root: shin, waw, bet.

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